Izumi's Egress
by Celonhael
Summary: Izumi faces one of the hardest choices of her life
1. Chapter 1

The darkness grew.  
The shadow moved over the ground, a living inkspot, running as if still a liquid. It hid in the shadows of rocks and trees while it was small. Keeping out of sunlight.  
The portal it had come through had been small as well, a tiny little hole in the fabric of the world. Just big enough for this small piece of darkness to break off and ooze through.  
Normally, it would have been discovered and destroyed. A similar portal had opened just a day earlier, but it had been bigger. The aura it had put out was louder, stronger. Demons had felt it's presence. As had half-demons.  
Izumi had shown InuYasha how to close the portals, though she had warned him he was not yet ready to do so on his own. The portals were dangerous, for they absorbed the power one threw at it, intensified it a hundred fold, and threw it back at you. Not unlike InuYasha's own Backlash wave.  
The death of the demon-slayer had filled everyone's mind with fear and confusion and grief. No one, not even Izumi, had been able to sense the presence of this tiny portal.  
And so it opened, spewed out a tiny piece of shadow, and closed again, with no one the wiser.  
Now this small piece of living shadow moved in the levels known as the Twilight Lands, for they were perfectly in the middle of all the level and universes there were. This tiny piece of shadow hid, and waited.  
Under orders by it's master, it hid, waiting until it was sure no one knew of it, no one sensed it. Sometimes smaller things can sneak past enemies when larger things are more easily noticed. Much as a mouse will sneak into your home, but an elephant never could.  
And once it had been assured it was unnoticed, it began to eat.  
It started by eating non-living things. Wood, rock, dirt. These things did not give it the energy it needed, of course. They only gave it what it needed to survive, not to grow.  
It began to eat demons.  
Small ones, of course. Mice. Rats. Insect demons. It left the non-demonic things alone, as they did not seem to give it what it needed.  
As it grew, bigger were the demons it devoured, using the demon's own power to fuel it, doubling in size each time it ate.  
Within a week it was the size of a mouse.  
In 10 days it was the size of a cat.  
Two weeks later, it was the size of a pony.  
For now it shunned humans. Humans did not give it what it needed. While eating humans would sustain it, they had no power with which to grow. Besides, humans might somehow contact those it's master did not want to know about it.  
So it stuck to the forests deep, hiding from anything it could not overpower and eat, and grow.  
It hid.  
And it grew.

"That seems to be the last of them," Miroku said, putting the last bag of rice into the wagon. He pushed and shoved until it was pretty well balanced there, patting it firmly down.  
"Thank you so much for helping," the old man said, "If I can sell this in the next village, it will go a long way to getting some things we need."  
The monk looked over the old, creaking wagon. It was filled to the brim with rice, vegetables and other grains. For a time of drought, and possibly approaching famine, it was a good thing to see.  
The old man was joined on the wagon by two demons, each carrying swords. They were going to be the wagon's guard.  
"We're going to be travelling back in your direction shortly," Miroku said to the old man, "If you need help, stay on the road."  
The old man and the two demons nodded, bowing, "Thank you again."  
Miroku watched as the wagon creaked off, being pulled by two horses. He felt relieved to see the two demons sitting alongside the old man. They both looked like they knew how to use their blades.  
He turned and walked back to the small hut he and his friends were sharing. Everyone was outside, their backpacks on their backs, getting ready to move. The monk paused, watching InuYasha and Kagome.  
Since their return from Kagome's world, the two had seemed troubled. At first he was afraid they had had some sort of fight over there, something that had strained their already-strained relationship. But it became apparent that whatever it was, it was something they both seemed to be sharing.  
"It will be good to see Lady Kaede again," Kagome said.  
Sango nodded, "I know she's a very powerful priestess in her own right, but she's still an elderly lady. I worry about her."  
"Me too!" Shippo said, jumping up to land on the monk's shoulder, "She's always so nice to me."  
They said their goodbyes to the people of the village, and started out on the road, walking back. As usual, InuYasha and Kagome walked out front, and Miroku and Sango hung back. DarkWind walked slightly behind and to the side of Kagome. The Kageri seemed to be trying to give InuYasha and Kagome some privacy.  
Sango watched as Kirara, in her kitten form, leapt from her arms to Miroku's shoulder, battling for room with Shippo. Miroku lowered his head, squeezing his eyes, as Kirara tumbled and scrabbled and jumped, finally managing to perch atop his head. She sat there, looking very proud of herself.  
Sango laughed, "Kirara!"  
"I don't mind," Miroku said, "As long as she can balance."  
Sango smiled, then spoke, her smile leaving her face as she spoke seriously, "Kagome told me Kirara bonded strongly with you when I was...away." She still couldn't say the words, that she had been dead.  
Miroku's smile left as well, and he nodded slightly- careful not to dislodge the cat - "Yes, she did. And I was certainly glad of the company."  
"She...she's very fond of you, Miroku."  
The monk smiled, "It's returned. She's very loyal little thing."  
Kirara mewed.  
Sango spoke again, "InuYasha tells me you were planning on taking her to Kohaku."  
"Yes. I thought she deserved the option to stay with your brother."  
"That's very kind of you. But I think she would prefer to stay with you."  
"She's always welcome by my side."  
Sango smiled.  
Up ahead he saw InuYasha pause, talking to Kagome. They seemed deep in discussion about something.  
Shippo spoke, "What do you think happened over in Kagome's world? They acted really weird. InuYasha was acting really weird when he came back."  
"Yes," Miroku said, "And he came back as a human, too. He wouldn't talk about it, and I know better than to pry. At least it doesn't seem like him and Kagome had a fight."  
Sango nodded.

In the forest, a lone figure walked. She moved along a path worn with time, walking silently. Her mind was heavy with many thoughts, thoughts she couldn't understand.  
Kikyo paused to watch a river bubbling past. The heavy drought had lifted, bringing some relief to the land. As she watched, animals darted to the river to drink, birds and mice, feasting on the insects the water brought.  
She felt strangely angry.  
A short while ago, she had met InuYasha in the forest. And he had told her many things, many troubling things.  
Kagome was the one whom the Kageri had latched onto. While she had the Shikon! Of all the stupid, irresponsible...and people honestly thought that Kagome had spiritual power?! Insanity! If she had even a shred of spiritual powers, she would never have allowed herself to get caught up in the web of lies a Kageri spread. Normally, Kikyo wouldn't care in the least what that stupid little girl had done, but she was putting the Shikon in danger.  
The Shikon...  
All her life, she had devoted to protecting that thing. She had lost any chance she had at being happy. She had died because of it, in a way. Had pinned InuYasha to a tree, and had died.  
Now Kagome had it. Had pieced it together, and had it. And InuYasha, the fool, tried to tell her that Kagome could _use_ it?  
No one could use the Shikon!  
Kikyo herself had trained with it for _years_ and had _never_ been able to do much more than peer into some of it's depths! And this girl shows up, and within one year is supposed to be able to actually use it like some kind of weapon?  
InuYasha warned her, gently, not to try anything against DarkWind. Because it would hurt Kagome.  
He was such a fool.  
He suddenly remembered him telling her about the Handmaiden, Izumi.  
A real Handmaiden. And of Amaterasu, no less!  
Kikyo had learned about the Senmin from her trainer. She had had to learn about different spirits, demons, and gods. The Senmin had been explained as well. And never in her life had she ever expected to actually see one! Kikyo remembered the meeting in the forest, as short as it had been. The woman, dressed in long gowns, an air of the divine about her. How excited Kikyo had been.  
And now InuYasha talked about her as if she were a next door neighbour.  
Kikyo looked away, angrilly. It wasn't fair. She had protected the Shikon all her life. She had died protecting it, in a way. She had been it's protector, it's keeper, and all she had ever gotten out of it was an early death.  
Now _Kagome_ had it, and all of a sudden celestial beings were appearing to talk to her, and the Shikon starts giving up it's powers, allowing itself to be used like a common sword!  
Why Kagome?  
Why not _her_?  
"It's a lovely night tonight, is it not?"  
Kikyo spun to see a very tall man standing there, watching her. He was bald, save for a long flowing scalp lock that fell to his waist. The left side of his face was covered in a silver mask, the right seemed normal. He was wearing strange robes, of a very dark purple, almost black. His eyes were ice green.  
There was a strange aura coming off this man, one she didn't understand. He wasn't a demon, but there was definately something dark about him.  
"Who are you?" she demanded.  
"I'm just a traveller," he said, approaching her.  
Kikyo moved swiftly to the side, but he just passed her, not intent on her after all, but rather the river. He pulled a waterbag from under his robes, and unstoppered it. Kneeling to fill his waterbag, he spoke.  
"It's been a while since I saw someone like you."  
Kikyo frowned, "What do you mean, someone like me?"  
"Dead."  
She blinked, backing up a step.  
The man didn't move, just kept filling his water skin. After a minute, he stood up, re-stoppering the skin, watching her.  
"How long?" he asked.  
"What?" Kikyo watched him warily.  
"How long have you been dead?"  
Kikyo glared at him, "That's none of your business."  
The man shrugged, slipping his waterskin back under his robe, "As you wish. I just thought you might like to stop."  
"Stop? Stop what?"  
"Being dead."  
Kikyo blinked, startled, "What?"  
"I said, I was just wondering if you wanted to stop being dead. If you haven't been dead a long time, I know someone who can bring you back."  
Kikyo watched this man warily. She didn't trust him. No one can bring back the dead.  
"It's true," the man said, "I know it sounds crazy, but I've seen him do it before. As long as you're not dead for too long, that is."  
He studied her for a second, "You're that priestess, aren't you? Kiki, something like that?"  
She frowned, "I am a priestess, yes. Kikyo. How do you know who I am?"  
He shrugged, "Rumors and things. I was talking to a woman a long time ago who said you helped her with a burn or something. I told her the only Kiki I knew of -"  
"Kikyo."  
"Right. The only Kikyo I knew of was dead, and her gravesite had been all dug up. I just put two and two together, and there you go."  
Kikyo was silent, wary.  
"What do you want?"  
"Me? Nothing. My master might want a fee or something, but that's up to you." He paused, watching her.  
"I'd be a bit pissed off, myself."  
She blinked, confused.  
"Well...the rumor from that old woman's village is that you used to look after this necklace thing, and now another priestess has it, and is running around, doing all kinds of miracles with it, her and her friends. I just...I'd be a bit upset, especially if I never got that kind of attention when I looked after it."  
Kikyo scowled at him, "You don't understand anything. I never looked after the Shikon for glory or attention. It was my duty."  
He nodded, "Still...I'd be upset."  
Kikyo looked at him.  
Was it possible? Could she...be brought back? Become alive again?  
To be warm? To feel something other than anger and loss and hate? To taste food, and water?  
Was it possible?  
"And how do I know this isn't a trap?" Kikyo asked.  
The man shrugged, "I guess you don't. Not like he can do much to you, though. I mean, you're already dead, right?"  
Kikyo narrowed her eyes. InuYasha had told her Naraku was back. Was this man in league with him?  
But...she didn't sense Naraku's aura about this man, and she had always been able to sense anyone Naraku was in league with.  
Was it possible?  
As if reading her mind, the man spoke again, "He's a Senmin, by the way."  
Kikyo blinked, looking startled, "He..."  
The man nodded, "My master. He's Senmin. He saw the work you used to do before, and approves. And he wants to give you back your mortal soul, bring you back to life."  
"In exchange for what?"  
The man shrugged, "I don't know. You'd have to talk to him about that. I'm just a go-between. He might want you to repay him by doing something, healing someone, I honestly don't know."  
Kikyo watched this man cautiously. Something seemed off, and yet...if this man's master truly _was_ a Senmin...he might be able to do what he said.  
"What is your master's name?"  
The man smiled, "Tsubaro. Would you like to meet with him?"  
Kikyo studied the man in silence for a while, and then spoke, "And where would I meet him?"  
"Wherever you wanted. He would come to you, if it would make you more comfortable."  
Kikyo paused, then nodded, "Tell him to meet me here. And I will decide."

The small group walked along the path, as it snaked through the forest. From time to time the trees would thin out, and they could see the ocean.  
Kagome kept her eyes on the ocean as she walked, watching it's deep blue hue. The sun shone on it, sparkling brightly.  
Her mind was on her home.  
That group. That very powerful, rich coorporation, the Matsumoto co-orporation knew about InuYasha. Knew all about him. His face, that he was half hanyou, where he was from, everything.  
Now he was going to have to hide in her house if he came to her world. He couldn't risk going down to the city anymore.  
Kagome had expected InuYasha to rage against it, go down into the city just to prove a point, pissed off, challenging anyone to a fight. She had been surprised when he had said he would willingly go along with it.  
She knew he was feeling angry and guilty. Guilty because now her family could be in danger just by his presence. InuYasha didn't want anyone at risk because of him. She knew if it were just up to him, he'd go and hang out for weeks in the middle of the city, just to dare someone to try something. But now...  
Trees blocked her view, and she looked back to the path again.  
Kagome had always been afraid something like this would happen. You couldn't watch any tv or movie that featured a person or thing from another planet or world that didn't involve the government of that country wanting it to cut up and see what was inside.  
InuYasha would be no different.  
_I guess I should be thankful_, she thought, _It's __**not**__ my government, it's just that one group. Even if it is powerful, it's not like they can jump out of the sky in helicopters in the middle of the day and attack._  
"What the hell is _that_?"  
Kagome looked up where InuYasha was standing.  
He was peering out through a gap in the forest, to the sea. Kagome walked up to where he was looking, standing beside him, and followed his line of vision.  
There was an island out there, on the edge of the water, and a strange blue light was emcompassing it. The entire island looked like it was glowing.  
"I've never seen anything like that in my life," Sango said.  
Miroku shook his head, "Nor I. I _am_ sensing something strange about it, though."  
"Yes, so am I." Sango agreed.  
The monk looked at InuYasha, "Do you sense anything, InuYasha?"  
Ears flicked, "Sort of. It's weird. It's not a demon, and it doesn't have the same feel to it as the Shadelings do."  
Kagome turned to the Kageri behind her, "DarkWind, have you ever seen anything like this before?"  
DarkWind shook his head, "No, Nushi, I have not. Nor do I sense what Miroku-Monk or the others are sensing, which is strange. I can _see_ the light, but..." he shrugged.  
Kagome looked back to the strangely glowing island, then turned to the others, "Should we check it out?"  
Miroku and Sango exchanged glances, then they both nodded. Sango spoke, "It might be another attack by a Shadeling or something. We can't just leave it alone."  
"You and InuYasha have managed to kill three of them," Miroku said, "But that leaves Jemu that we know of, as well as Phobia, and the little thing that managed to transport all of us to separate worlds. If Keimetsu wants to weaken this world, and was using the Shadelings as shook troops, as Kagome called them, it stands to reason he may have brought more here."  
"That's all we need," InuYasha growled. His mood was not improving today.  
"Come on, then, let's go see."

"Eh...Lord Sesshomaru? Do you see that over there?"  
The demon lord paused, turning to where Jakkan was pointing.  
An island out in the ocean seemed to have a strange glow about it.  
Lord Sesshomaru studied the island in silence.  
Strange. He had passed this way many times before, and could not remember seeing that island glow like that. And yet there was no demon aura about it.  
Some doings of Keimetsu?  
"Jakken."  
"Yes, my Lord?"  
"Stay here with Rin. I will go and observe what is happening on that island."  
"What? Don't leave me here with Rin, my Lord, let your faithful vas...uhhh." Jakken fell silent as Lord Sesshomaru turned, regarding the imp with a golden stare over a shoulder.  
Jakken faltered, "Yes, my Lord, of course."  
The demon lord turned, moving slowly back towards the ocean front.

"The glow is getting brighter," Kagome said, when her small group passed through some trees.  
Before them, the island lay silent, trees standing tall. The strange blue glow made no sound, nor was there anything else out of the ordinary about it, save for that glow.  
When they had broken into a long stretch of land that ran out to a cliff overlooking the ocean, they paused, watching. From here they had a good high view of the island. Trees leaned slightly, having grown in the ocean wind all their lives, a massive rocky upthrust running along the clearing, like the spine of some massive, half-buried monster.  
Kagome looked at the light, raising a hand unconsciously to where the Shikon lay under her shirt.  
InuYasha noticed, and turned to her, "Kagome?"  
She blinked, noticing what she was doing, and dropped her hand. The others noticed as well, and turned to her.  
"What is it, Kagome?" Miroku asked.  
"I don't like it," she said lowly. She turned back to look out at the strangely glowing island, "I...it feels bad."  
InuYasha flicked an ear, staring out over the water, but speaking to her, "Bad how?"  
"I can't explain, just...wrong. Rotten. Decayed. Something that...just...shouldn't be here."  
They fell silent.  
Miroku noticed that there were no birds in the trees near them. It was strangely silent, as if even the birds were hesitant to speak.  
"Sango, would Kirara be alright with carrying me, you, Shippo, and InuYasha out to that island to have a look around?"  
"Shippo doesn't weigh anything, and she's carried us before."  
"What about Kagome?" InuYasha asked, turning to look at Miroku.  
The monk spoke hesitantly, "I..ah..thought DarkWind could bring her."  
InuYasha turned, looking back out over the water, "Mph."  
Miroku spoke lowly to the hanyou, a private conversation, "You cannot run over water, InuYasha, nor jump that far. If you want to go to the island, you will have to fly on Kirara. And since I don't think she could carry _all_ of us-"  
"Alright, fine, whatever."  
Miroku sighed. InuYasha had been in a strange mood ever since returning from Kagome's world.  
"I'm not sure what we'll encounter when we get there," Miroku said, "So we need to be prepared for-"  
"Look!" Kagome took a step forward, pointing.  
From the island, a long blue beam of light was shooting straight up into the air. It rose straight up until it vanished among the clouds, a pale blue pillar of light. It seemed to pulse there for a moment or two, and then flickered and faded.  
Everyone was silent.  
"And what was that?" Shippo asked, his green eyes wide.  
Kagome turned, looking back at them where she had taken a step closer towards the cliff edge, "Guys, I _really_ don't like this. Something is telling me this is wrong, it's all _wrong_. I don't think we should stay here any longer."  
Everyone blinked at her, and then InuYasha stepped towards her, "You think I'm going to start running _again_?!"  
"I'm serious, InuYasha, something is so _wrong_ here."  
"I don't care! I don't run! Whatever is out there, I'll take it on and beat the crap out of it!"  
"InuYasha..."  
The hanyou opened his mouth to say something, but fell silent as a pale blue transparent sphere seemed to appear around him. It flickered into being silently, pulsing slightly. InuYasha blinked, raising a hand to it.  
"InuYasha!" Kagome cried, running to him.  
The others moved swiftly to his side, reaching out.  
They could feel a pressure under their hands, as if the hanyou was completely encased in a carrier. It felt cool and smooth to the touch. InuYasha pressed his hand against it. Scowling, he slashed out with his claws, but nothing happened, not even a scratch mark appeared. He felt his claws scour along the barrier, but no visible sign remained.  
"Get him out of there!" Kagome cried, and started beating on the sphere with her fists. She was starting to panic.  
"I can hear you, I can even smell you guys," InuYasha said, glaring around him at the barrier, "But I can't get out! What the hell is this?"  
His friends were all circling him, hands out, feeling the strange pale blue barrier that had suddenly erected itself about him. Kagome had removed her sword, and was banging the hilt against the edge of the blue glow.  
Shippo leapt into the air, releasing a great gout of foxfire at the sphere. It rippled around the edges before going out. InuYasha, who had leapt back as far as he could when the Kitsune let loose, leaned forward, hands in fists, "You want to warn me next time you do that!?"  
Miroku knocked the tip of his Holy Staff against it, "It's solid. Yet air and sound can still travel in and out."  
"This reminds me of that thing that took us to Tarangoi's castle that time," Kagome said worriedly, rapping on the sphere with her knuckles.  
InuYasha snorted, trying his claws on the inside of the sphere again. Nothing, even a squealing sound. He could feel them biting _into_ something, but no sound, no sign. Nothing.  
"Damnit all to hell!"  
The sphere suddenly started pulsing again, flickering. It grew brighter and brighter, growing in brightness quickly, ramping up. The four outside were forced to back up, throwing their arms up to block the light.  
"InuYasha!?" Kagome called, frightened.  
"What's going on!?" Miroku called out, "InuYasha?"  
The brightness continued to grow in intensity, flickering like some horrible pale blue strobe light. It was all eerily silent.  
There was one huge, masive pulse, and then the light faded out, into nothing.  
Cautiously, they lowered their arms, blinking in the after effects of the brilliant light.  
The sphere, and InuYasha, were nowhere to be seen.


	2. Chapter 2

The forest was filled with the sounds of birds, chirping, calling, singing. The clearing in the middle was empty, soft grass doing it's best to return to a healthy green. A few flowers were bravely trying to bloom, but the ground was already starting to dry out.  
A faint, soft, golden glow formed in the center of the clearing, and within seconds, a woman could be seen standing there. Brilliant colors graced the gown she wore, and she was tall.  
The golden glow subsided, and faded out entirely, and the woman turned, looking around her.  
Izumi blinked at all the birds gathered in the small clearing. They seemed upset over something, all trying to talk at once.  
"Now now, calm yourselves," she said gently, "Why are you all here? You're all bunched up, this is not like you."  
Birds sang, called, chirped.  
Izumi frowned. They were certainly stirred up, upset.  
Birds were chatty creatures, and talked non-stop. Unfortunately they tended to ramble and repeat themselves over and over, so it could be quite hard to get one to actually concetrate on a single thing and talk about it.  
Izumi herself was feeling very distracted. Lately she seemed to have trouble concentrating. There were so many different things she had to attend to, all of them equally important. She had been giving Mikado more and more responsibilities as time went on, and hoped the other Handmaiden didn't notice it was due to exhaustion, thinking it was just more training.  
Izumi believed in Mikado. She knew the young woman could handle this herself just _fine_. She was strong, and smart, and up to the challenge. However, Mikado didn't have the...decorum...that was often needed for this job. Mikado wanted to wade into the middle of things, do it all herself, and end it. She had no time to coddle or nurse along people, letting them learn things on their own. She had no time for showing respect that was deserved, or the political wrangling it oftentimes took to get something done.  
She smiled. If it had been Mikado who was chosen to approach Lord Sesshomaru, the demon lord would probably still be hunting the Senmin down for a hundred small slights she had unknowingly given.  
_Once Mikado learns the ins and outs of dealing with many different people, many different personalities, she will do just fine._  
She sighed, _It would be nice, though, if the third Handmaiden revealed herself. There are supposed to be three of us. Mother Amaterasu has been saying for over two centuries now that the third will arrive soon, but I see no signs of it. I was certain, at first, that Sango was destined for that, but she chose to remain with Miroku and the others.  
For which I am glad. InuYasha and his friends love her so dearly. Knowing she was a powerful, near immortal Senmin would have been a comfort, but they still would have missed her, terribly. I'm not sure how Miroku would have handled her continued loss without eventually being unable to take back the robes, and I am sure that will play a part in the final battle. Besides, Sango is a Fate Breaker. I don't know if they are capable of becoming Senmin._  
Izumi thought to several days ago, when she had met Kagome under that tree in the downpour, and they had talked of InuYasha. Izumi had shown Kagome a parallel world where InuYasha had grown up with both parents, in a castle with wealth and power and prestige. He had always had family around him, had always been accepted.  
In that world, the hanyou hadn't fallen in love with Kikyo. But he had fallen in love with Kagome.  
She had hoped that Kagome would understand what that meant. She had tried to explain that InuYasha had fallen in love with Kikyo because she had been the only woman who had ever shown him any kindness and affection. Considering the hanyou's lonely childhood and young adult life, it was not surprising he felt that way about Kikyo. But there hadn't been any _reason_ for him to fall in love with Kagome. Especially after Kikyo had returned. But he had. What that implied was obvious.  
_"It doesn't matter though",_ Kagome had told her, _"Because in __**this**__ world, __**my**__ world, he still loves Kikyo. So it makes no difference."_  
InuYasha had come to talk to her, too, about the Tetsusaiga. But he had obviously been very distracted by his thoughts, glancing often out into the rain, where he had last seen Kagome.  
Izumi sighed once more. Those two were so bound together, if they could only see it, put aside all this other nonsense, and stop colliding all the time.  
She was brought back to reality when as especially bold little bird perched on her shoulder, trilling loudly, demanding her attention.  
"Yes, yes, I'm listening. What is it?"  
As the little bird twittered and chirped, Izumi listened. Apparently, the little bird was upset because it had been forced to leave it's nest. It liked it's nest, it could look out over the ocean at the waves. But now there was a very unpleasant feeling in that area, and so it had left. And couldn't Izumi please do something about it, because it was certain another bird would soon take it's nest.  
"Yes, very well, I'll go and see what this is all about, I'm sure it's nothing," she said softly, and the little bird flew back to a tree, ruffling it's feathers, feeling very put out.  
Izumi turned, and started walking towards where this little bird had explained it lived. Normally she wouldn't get involved in something like this - birds were very easily spooked, and would forget all about this nest within days if forced to move. But the fact that so many birds were all complaining about the same thing seemed odd.  
It wouldn't hurt to look.  
Izumi lifted the hem of her robe as she walked through some damp grass. She envied the little bird it's nest. She too loved looking out over the ocean. It reminded her very much of her little village home, so far in the past now.  
Her people, now, rested at the bottom of the sea, their bodies committed to the deep when their time had come. Time had erased her village, but not her memories.  
Izumi wondered what would happen to her, when her Goddess' promise came true. Amaterasu had promised her sleep when this war was finally ended. Izumi felt so weary at times, she looked forward to just closing her eyes, and drifting off...and sleeping. Forever.  
She hoped her Goddess wouldn't put her in state. She felt...awkward...thinking about a whole line of people looking at her once she was gone. True, it wouldn't be _her_, but her body...and she had a very bad feeling that as the oldest of the Senmin, that is what would happen to her...but she still didn't like the thought. All her people were down in the depths, sleeping. She would like that herself. She had almost said as much to Lord Sesshomaru.  
The two brothers came to her, and she smiled. She couldn't leave before all this was finished, though. She still needed to guide InuYasha...and she wanted to be sure he came through it all ok. Izayoi and InuTashio's child, the hanyou was so dear to her. In another time and place, he might have even called her "Oba", Aunt. That would have made her so happy.  
And Lord Sesshomaru...  
Izumi shook her head as she walked. She wasn't sure what to make of the demon lord anymore. When first they met, she had him pegged quite well. Izumi knew exactly what he was going to say or do in any given situation. He was so like, and yet unlike, his father. Standoffish, cold, rigid...and yet there were glimpses of his father's humor in him, a wry, sarcastic, almost acidic wit that came to the surface from time to time.  
Sometimes he had such an odd look on his face, like he had been handed a completely unexpected item and had no idea what to do with it. Emotions came to his face unguarded for mere seconds, as if something had slipped through without notice before the demon lord could clamp down iron bands.  
She suddenly remembered Kagome mentioning that Lord Sesshomaru called her "my lady". It was something he had started after telling her he offered his blade to her if she needed it...to _her_, not Amaterasu. And the odd emphasis he had put on the "My" at first had startled her. What was his game?  
As she walked, Izumi was struck by the sudden memory of grieving for Ichi, or Muzan, as she had been called. How it had torn her heart apart when the woman had been burned to dust before her eyes for abandoning Kiemetsu. For a brief moment, Izumi had thought she was going to have her sweet student returned, and then all had been torn from her in a gout of flame.  
She had wept, and Lord Sesshomaru had...  
Izumi paused, stopping in the middle of the path, eyes distance as she tried to remember.  
He had touched her hand, and she...she had wept against him. In her blind grief, she had clung to the Demon Lord of the Western Reaches, and he...  
He had touched her hair, hadn't he? Ever so light, she hadn't really even noticed it until her sobs had tapered, and she had regained some control.  
His voice..._"Izumi. I do not understand why you weep for one who was so recently your enemy, but...I am sorry you grieve."_  
Izumi shook her head. Perhaps there was more of his father in him than even Lord Sesshomaru knew, to feel sorrow at a friend's grief.  
She started walking again, pushing her way through some brush, and stepped out into a clearing atop a cliff, over looking the ocean. The water seemed unbelievably bright, glinting off the waves like diamonds.  
She was startled to see InuYasha's group standing there, looking out over the water.  
Izumi spoke, "Kagome?"  
Six faces turned to her; three human, a Kageri, a Kitsune, and a feline demon, startled, but it was Kagome who stepped forward, "Lady Izumi! InuYasha's gone!"  
Izumi paused, not quite sure what she had heard, "I...what, dear?"  
"He's _gone_, he vanished in front of us inside a big blue ball!"  
"We couldn't touch him!" Shippo cried, "We couldn't reach him, he couldn't get out! Then it flashed and dissapeared!"  
Izumi studied them in silence for a moment, then spoke directly to Miroku, "Miroku, dear, can you tell me what happened?"  
The monk looked uneasy and worried, "It's as they said, Lady. We were walking back to Kaede's village when we saw that island out there. There seemed to be a strange aura about it, it was glowing in a faint blue light. We came out here to take a closer look. A bright light suddenly shot up, straight up into the air, and then vanished. Before we were able to do much more than mention it, the same kind of light enveloped InuYasha. It was like he was inside a barrier of some sort. None of us could break it. Then...it grew brilliant, too bright to look at, and vanished."  
"It took InuYasha!" Shippo cried.  
Izumi frowned, "Were none of you covered in this same light at all? Only InuYasha?"  
"No, Lady, only InuYasha."  
Izumi frowned. That didn't sound good. Something had sought out InuYasha personally and separated him from his friends.  
The tall woman lifted her head, looking around. Kagome saw that her eyes were unfocused, as if she were listening more than looking. She knew the woman was casting out with her powers, trying to home in on the hanyou's location.  
She turned her head, looking towards the island, and frowned, "He's out there?"  
Miroku and the others all turned towards the island in the distance, worried.  
"Why was he taken out there?" Sango asked.  
"And why just InuYasha?" Kagome asked.  
Izumi shook her head, confused, "I'm not sure, and I know I don't like it at all. Stay here. I'm going to go see what is going on."  
Kagome looked at Izumi, "We can come with you! Kirara can carry us, and-"  
"No," Izumi shook her head firmly, "I don't know what's going on out there, none of you are to follow."  
Izumi turned towards the island, and closed her eyes. She seemed to flicker for a second, and then she vanished in front of them. Shippo blinked, "I'll never get used to that!"  
Kagome turned towards the island, eyes scanning, hopeful, _Be careful, InuYasha, please._

InuYasha had experienced that horrible _wrenching_ sensation he had experienced the last time he had been translocated to another place, and found himself hovering in midair. Startled, he hadn't even had time to hollar in surprise before he landed roughly on his butt on compact dirt.  
He grabbed his middle, hunched over, commanding his breakfast not to make an appearance. His stomach roiled and churned. Just like the last time, when him and Kagome had been _yanked_ to that castle. His stomach had turned then too. The bodies of demons, or at least hanyou, apparently didn't appreciate being shifted in space like that.  
Muttering under his breath, he stood up, looking around for his friends.  
He was alone.  
"Kagome! Miroku? Sango? Anyone? Hey!"  
Silence.  
He turned in place, looking around.  
_Where the hell am I?_  
He seemed to be standing on the edge of a clearing. The trees that lined the clearing were scraggly and stunted, evident of growing in wind. The ground was mostly a thin grass, but mostly brown dirt that was slowly giving way to dust and sand.  
In the far distance, he could see land. He frowned, squinting at the landmass. What was that?  
InuYasha blinked. Was that...was he now on the island?  
"What the hell am I doing over here?" he asked, and suddenly grew alarmed. Had he been taken from them because they were going to come under attack? Were they in danger?  
Damnit, was he going to have to _swim_ all the way back?  
A sudden ringing started up in his head, and he turned, looking this way and that, his ears turning on his head as he sought to identify the source.  
But he couldn't seem to find it. It seemed to be coming out of the air all around him.  
It continued to grow in intensity, changing from a ringing to a vibration he could _feel_ in his bones.  
Ears flattened, he took a hold of the hilt of Tetsusaiga. He now recognised that ringing, vibrating, shivery sensation. It was what he had felt when they had encountered that portal, the gateway to that other realm.  
In front of him the very air suddenly seemed to _bulge_, as if something was trying to force it's way through.  
Hackles raised, InuYasha pulled his weapon. The Tetsusaiga roared into form, and the hanyou backed up a step, waiting. Whatever was going to force it's way into his world, he would be ready to face it.  
The air in front of him continued to bulge and stretch, warping everything around it, like waterdrops on the surface of a pond. Now the ringing grew more powerful, and it started to border on pain.  
"Damnit!" he cursed, his eyes watering. Taking the Tetsusaiga in one hand, he raised his other to his face, using the heel of of palm to wipe away the tears that fouled his vision.  
There was a sudden, horrible _tearing_ sound, a _ripping_ noise, and a huge gaping hole appeared before him, black and cold.  
InuYasha leapt backwards, putting some distance between him and it. He blinked rapidly, trying to keep his vision clear.  
The hole in the air before him was blacker than black, a terrible void hanging in space. Even from where he was, he could feel the cold seeping out into the air around him.  
InuYasha grinned. Here was something he could do.  
Everything that was going wrong, everything...now, now he could do something. Losing Kagome's affection, DarkWind showing up, suffering at the hands of the Shadelings, Sango dying and being used as a pawn before being returned to her friends, the people in Kagome's world hunting him, putting her family in danger over _him_, having to run from those people...  
His SolarWind would take care of this, easily.  
InuYasha remembered Izumi's voice, telling him he wasn't ready for this, that it was too powerful for him.  
Yet.  
Something about the portal taking your power and throwing it back at you...  
But not the SolarFlare. It was a blessing from Amaterasu. It would be powerful enough to stop this thing.  
He took the hilt of the Tetsusaiga in both his hands, taking up his stance. Closing this portal would show Izumi he was ready for anything that was coming. He'd surprise her, her and Kagome both. He could almost see them looking at him in pleasant surprise.  
He started to gather up his power, feeling the power starting to grow inside Tetsusaiga. He let it fill him, and planting his feet, he released his attack.  
The Windscar left the Tetsusaiga, rippling outward towards the portal, tearing into the ground as it went.  
He watched, grinning, waiting for it to take the shape of the SolarWind.  
The SolarFlare blazed into form, striking the portal with a blinding flash.  
It separated, encircling the portal, burning in place like a frame encircling a blank photo.  
InuYasha blinked, startled. What had happened?  
To his shock, the SolarFlare rippled, and bubbling outward, blasted out from the portal, heading backwards. Heading for InuYasha. And it had been magnified several times. This SolarFlare was different. Almost corrupted. Tainted somehow.  
InuYasha stepped back a step, shocked. What had happened?  
The SolarFlare tore back towards him.  
Panicking, InuYasha swung out his Tetsusaiga again.  
_"Backlash Wave!"_  
The Backlash stormed out, and struck the incoming SolarFlare with a deafening crash. The two attacks roared as they struggled against each other, like savage animals fighting for dominance. Trees around him swayed, caught up in the massive winds that formed, his hair and clothing streaming out behind him as he stood, pushing everything he had into the Backlash.  
He suddenly felt his powers start to falter, flowing out of him like water in a leaky bucket. His legs started to tremble as not only his hanyou powers, but his physical strength leeched out of him as well.  
Tetsusaiga was draining him.  
Shocked, he looked down at the blade. The solar symbol that appeared whenever he used the SolarFlare was there, flashing and rippling, but differently than normal. Usually the symbol was whole, complete. Now it seemed to flicker and ripple in pieces and bits, almost as if the symbol itself was under attack.  
InuYasha tightened his grip on the hilt, staring at his blade in shock. Why was Tetsusaiga draining him? Was it having trouble fighting back?  
His golden eyes widened when he suddenly realized Tetsusaiga was pulling power and energy from him, to replace what _it itself_ was losing. The portal was sucking power from him and the Tetsusaiga the way a child might drink water.  
Tetsusaiga was failing. It was losing the struggle in the Backlash Wave, against this powered-up SolarFlare.  
"Tetsusaiga!"  
The SolarFlare pulsed, and enveloped the Backlash, turning it around, and blending it with itself, powered up, absorbing it, strengthing it, and returning it.  
There was a sudden ringing chime from the blade, a non-harmonic sound, like breaking glass, and suddenly InuYasha was left holding the small, rusted, notched form of his blade.  
Tetsusaiga had lost.  
He only had time to be utterly shocked, speechless, disbelief on his face, when the SolarFlare and the Backlash Wave both struck him.  
He was lifted off his feet, blade flying from his hand, sent crashing backwards through the trees, tearing them out as he went, before cashing hard into the ground, tearing up a huge gouge that ran a length along the ground.  
InuYasha felt none of it, not the trees, not hitting the ground, not even tearing so deep a hole in the ground.  
He had been killed, instantly, the moment his stolen attacks had struck him, dead before his feet left the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

They stood, staring out at the island that lay not far off shore. They couldn't see anything, but suddenly, the echo of a great crash sounded across the water. Miroku wasn't sure, but he _thought_ he could see a great flash on the island, and several trees topple. To the ears of his friends, the echo sounded similar to InuYasha's Backlash Wave when it struck an enemy's attack.  
"I don't like this I don't like this I don't like this," Kagome whispered to herself over and over. Why had InuYasha been taken, and not all of them? What was he fighting out there now? Was he ok?  
She shifted from foot to foot, staring out over the water. Izumi was headed there...InuYasha would be ok. Izumi would help InuYasha.  
The five friends stood silent, gazing out, not moving.  
It was Shippo who sensed the presence of the demon lord, and he turned, blinking, "Sesshomaru!"  
They turned, startled to see the demon lord stepping out of the forest into the clearing they themselves were in. He gave them no notice, merely walked past them to gaze out at the island.  
"It has stopped glowing," he said, speaking more to himself than them.  
"You've noticed it too?" Miroku spoke politely. It was always wise to speak politely to Lord Sesshomaru.  
Sesshomaru said nothing, not really deigning to reply, not at first. After a second, he spoke again, "Iuzmi has been here."  
"Yes," Kagome answered. The demon lord didn't look at her, just continued looking out at the island, "She was. She went to see what was going on with the island. InuYasha went earlier, but we don't know what's going on."  
Sesshomaru remained where he was standing, watching. He had been going to travel out to the island himself, see what was making the glowing. If Izumi had gone out, there might be something interesting about to happen.  
But upon hearing InuYasha was there, he instantly lost interest. He had no time for listening to Izumi talk to the hanyou. Whatever was going on out there was of no concern of his, after all.

The dust settled, small rocks falling to the ground with little clunks and thumps. Silence formed, then was broken as a tree that had been badly hit lost it's battle with gravity, and fell over with a groan and muffled crash.  
The echo of the crash rang around the clearing for a moment, then silence reigned again.  
The dust settled lower to the ground, falling lightly.  
It was stirred up again as a woman ran past, holding her hem up from the dirty ground. Izumi's eyes were wide, her long hair streaming out behind her as she ran. She had felt a terrific explosion, felt a massive surge of power, then another great explosion, one that rocked the air itself. She had felt a sudden wrenching pull inside her, one that usually meant something very very wrong had happened. She had felt it when Sango had suddenly died, and she had a terrible feeling something equally bad had happened.  
Lunging into the clearing, she looked around. Her eyes instantly fell on a huge tear in the air, a portal, black as sin. There was a strange firey circle around it, like a frame of some sort. The light rippled and burned. Izumi instantly identifed it as remnants of the SolarFlare, only corrupted.  
_"Oh you fool!"_ Izumi cried, and turned, looking for InuYasha. Her eyes found the huge gouge torn into the ground, and she ran in that direction, wild.  
_"InuYasha? InuYasha!"_  
Crawling over a fallen tree, her eyes fell on a crumpled crimson figure back in the shadows, lying in the hollow made by his own body.  
_"InuYasha!?"_  
She half jumped, half fell from the fallen tree, staggering her way over to the hanyou's prone form. She fell to her knees, grabbing him, and shaking him.  
_"InuYasha? What did you think you were doing!? I specifically told you you can't-"_  
He didn't move.  
Izumi grabbed his haori and gave it a violent shake, "_Wake up!"_  
Nothing.  
Falling silent, she only now noticed his face. He was badly cut and bruised, even his haori was torn in places. Eyes closed, he did not stir.  
"In...InuYasha?"  
Silence.  
The silence was like a living thing, almost bearing down on her. No birds, no animals. Only a low breeze, not even enough to make a noise, it was like they were under a glass dome.  
Izumi froze, not wanting to move. After a second, she reached out and lay a hand on the side of his neck, his jugular. Izumi held her breath, feeling for a pulse.  
Nothing.  
"Oh...no," Izumi said quietly, her voice breaking, "No. No. This cannot be."  
She slid a hand under InuYasha's head, another under his shoulders, and lifted him, cradling him to her, his head against her shoulder. She gazed down into his face in stunned silence.  
"Please," she whispered, very softly, "Please. You must open your eyes."  
Silence.  
His face swam before her as tears suddenly sprang to her eyes, and it startled her into giving one shocked sob.  
"No. _Not Izayoi's child, no!"_  
Her own voice broke the shock she felt, and she was suddenly sobbing, half crouched over the hanyou's form. She pulled him to her, tight, and started to rock back and forth as she knelt, his face tucked against her neck.  
"It can't happen," she sobbed, "He is still needed! His role is not yet done! He is a Fate Breaker! No! This can't happen!"  
Her mind was a whirl of confused thoughts and a heavy, crushing grief. Images came to her of InuTashio, lying dead on the ground, body empty of the spark of life.  
Izumi looked down into his face, her eyes travelling over the long silver hair that was a gift from his father. The face that was so like Izayoi's. The Handmaiden faltered, and the woman, Izumi, rose within, her personal hurts and griefs overpowering the duty of a Senmin.  
_I cannot lose him! I cannot. I lost his mother and his father! He might have been __**mine**__ to love and raise, in Izayoi's absence! He's so young, so vivid! I cannot let him die, to fade into the darkness! I cannot!_  
Like a mother mourning her child, Izumi knelt in the broken forest, rocking InuYasha's slain body, sobs wracking her body.  
A few minutes later, she attempted to get herself under control. A lone sob escaped her, as she looked down into his face again. She trembled violently.  
"I should have warned you better. You did not understand what I was trying to tell you. I didn't make you understand..."  
She closed her eyes, tipping her head up towards the heavens, "Mother Amaterasu! I have failed you! Forgive me!"  
Shuddering, she opened her eyes, looking down into his face again. A wan smile tried to form on her face, and failed. She reached out, gently brushing his silver bangs out of his eyes. Gently, she stroked his hair.  
"I have failed _you_, my dear, sweet child. Forgive me." She sighed softly, "You are still needed here. You still have a role to play. All I can do now is try to make amends for my mistake."  
She gently lifted InuYasha head, closed her eyes, and brought her lips to his forehead.  
A light wind stirred up around them, a soft sighing sound, as if the very air were full of sorrow.  
The Handmaiden Izumi sent all her powers flowing into the hanyou's still body, reaching down deep within herself. For many, many years Izumi had walked beside a Goddess, and she had, over time, absorbed some of the goddess' power. Izumi had great power of her own, but now she called on it, _all_ off it. She could not allow Izayoi's child to pass, not like this. Perhaps if she had done something else, it might not have happened. If she had truly stressed to him what powers were needed to close one of those portals, he might not be lying so still, his body slowly cooling in her arms.  
The golden symbol that hung about her neck on a fine chain, the golden symbol of Amaterasu, a sun disk with five curved sunrays, shimmered, and suddenly shattered into a thousand miniscule pieces.  
There was a flare of heat, a sudden brilliant burst of light forming around the two, illuminating everything around them.  
It flickered, died.  
Izumi leaned back, her eyes suddenly pale with exhaustion. She gazed down into InuYasha's face.  
He seemed peaceful, still.  
Eyelids flickered, his eyebrows contracted slightly, a faint look of pain crossed his features, and slowly, he opened his eyes.  
There was a small, glowing golden circle upon his forehead that shimmered for a second, before it faded, dying, vanishing from sight.  
His eyes were unfocused for a second, and he blinked a few times, feeling groggy and confused. After a second, his eyes focused, and he noticed Izumi. His confusion was so great he didn't even notice he was being held, cradled against her.  
Izumi gazed down into his golden eyes, and suddenly though, _What I would give, to have heard you call me Oba._  
He frowned, his voice weak, "What...where am I? What happened?"  
Izumi smiled softly at him, leaning back slightly, lowering her arms as he came to. He sat on the ground, her hand on his back, supporting him, "Are you in any pain, InuYasha?"  
"I...my head is _splitting_..." he put a hand to his head, shuddering, "What hit me?"  
"Did you try to close the portal, dear one?" she asked gently.  
InuYasha lifted his head, blinking at her, "Portal? Wha..."  
He seemed to see the huge gouge in the ground now, that he was sitting in. He followed it out to the tree line, the trees torn out and ripped apart like matchsticks. He blinked, and shuddered.  
_Did I ..._  
Everything came back to him, using the SolarWind, then the Backlash Wave when the SolarFlare was turned on him. The draining of his Tetsusaiga, of _himself_. Of suddenly being in the center of that devastating power, and suddenly such _pain_...  
He put a hand to his head again, as it throbbed, "Yeah, I...I tried."  
InuYasha kept his face averted, feeling suddenly embarassed and ashamed. He was damned lucky he hadn't been seriously hurt!  
Izumi stood, walking a short distance away. He watched her, growing alarmed when he saw her wobble slightly, almost falling for a second. He stood, making his way towards her, "Izumi?"  
She bent, and picked up the Tetsusaiga. Turning, she handed it to him.  
Worriedly, he slid the Tetsusaiga into it's sheath, and started to speak. But Izumi spoke first.  
"The T - Tetsusaiga will heal her powers, InuYasha. You must give her time. Let her rest for a few days before you draw her again in battle."  
"Yeah...ok. Are you-?"  
She smiled down at him, and reached out, placing both hands on his shoulders. He blinked up at her. Izumi looked exhausted, and he could feel her trembling hands on his shoulders. She looked _terrible_.  
Again, he started to speak, but she spoke first, "I will close this portal. I will return you to your friends, InuYasha. The next time you find a portal, please, call on Mikado to close it. Even the SolarWind is not strong enough to repair a hole between worlds."  
His ears lowered, "Uh, yeah. Sorry, I should have-"  
He blinked again when everything around him seemed to flicker. All the colors around him seemed to smear and run together, like wet paint. Once again, that wrenching, sickening _pull_, and now suddenly he found himself standing on grass. His stomach rolled, and he staggered a step, fighting not to vomit.  
"InuYasha!" Sango's voice came to him.  
He looked up to see his friends running towards him. Legs feeling wobbly, he remained where he was as they came to him.  
Kagome looked into his face, "What happened!? Are you alright?"  
"I'm fine," he said.  
"We heard what sounded like fighting, even out here!" Kagome said, still searching his face, reassuring herself he was ok, "What happened?"  
He paused, not sure what to say. He didn't want to admit he had tried to close the portal and failed, had been hit so hard he had been knocked out, and with his own attack.  
"There was a portal," he said, glossing over some things, "I got knocked out."  
"Are you alright!?"  
InuYasha smiled at Kagome, "I said I'm fine."  
"Did you see Lady Izumi?" Miroku asked, "She went out to see what was going on."  
"Yeah, I saw her. She's the one who sent me here. She's going to close the portal out there."  
"Is that all there was?" asked an unexpected voice, "A portal?"  
InuYasha looked up, blinking to see Sesshomaru standing to the side, still looking out at the island.  
"Sesshomaru? What the hell are you doing here!?"  
"I asked you a question."  
InuYasha fumed, tempted to tell the demon lord to go jump off a cliff, but it would do no good.  
"Yeah, that's all, not that it's any of your business."  
They all turned, as one, looking out towards the island again.

Izumi carefully picked her way towards the portal, crawling over fallen trees, scrambling across mounds of earth kicked up. She felt weak, and trembled. Her whole body felt cold.  
Izumi closed her eyes, reaching for the comfort of her Goddess, Amaterasu, but there was only emptiness.  
Amaterasu was gone.  
Opening her eyes, the tall woman looked down at her chest, only now noticing the Holy Symbol of Amaterasu was gone from around her neck. There was only a small gold portion of the medallion left, a broken scrap.  
Grief surfaced slightly within her.  
Izumi had done the unthinkable. All her powers, all her abilities, all her strength, had been used to break the greatest taboo. She had used her powers to reach through the veil of death, and brought someone back.  
The Gods and Goddesses could not do so, not being mortal. Few knew it, but even the Gods had limitations upon them, imposed by...whoever had created _them_. Their power being so great, they could have easily reached through death's veil and yanked back anyone anytime they felt like it. So such an act was forbidden to them.  
But a mortal, with the power of a Goddess at her beck and call...she could do it.  
Even though it was forbidden.  
Her link to Amaterasu was broken. Not through any action of the Goddess itself, but by Izumi's own hand. With that one act, she had shattered the link that bound her to her Goddess.  
Izumi was abandoned.  
She gave a laugh, tired and wild-sounding. How fitting. How very fitting. That the Eldest Senmin, the one always insisting the others play by the rules, insisting that all the Senmin remain detatched, not get involved, put aside their own wants, should be the one to break _the_ greatest rule.  
_Those who are dead must remain dead. We have no right to interfere with the cycles of death and rebirth. We upset the very balance of existance itself if we do._  
She stood, gazing at the portal, noticing it was growing. Feeding upon the remnants of the SolarFlare that still encircled it, it grew in size. Soon, something would notice, and would come through. And if it continued to grow, that something could be very, very big indeed.  
_Forgive me, Mother Amaterasu. I failed you in that, as well. I am only human afterall, despite all my years with you, learning to be more. I still have a human heart. I could not let InuYasha pass. And he is still needed.  
But I will not lie to you, or myself. That was not why I brought him back. I brought him back because I love him, and could not stand to see him dead._  
A strong wind blew up, pulling at her robes, her hair. Feeling suddenly cold, she pulled her robes close around her, shivering, eyeing the growing portal.  
"I have some power left. It has been with me so long it resides in my very _bones_. But I do not have the power to weild it carefully. How can I close this portal? To do such an intricate thing is beyond me now. It would be as trying to thread a needle using a bucket."  
A thought came to her. She closed her eyes, reaching out, as far as she could. Her awareness sped outwards, flying across the land, up into the sky, higher and higher, until it reached the very blackness of space.  
Yes. That would do it.  
Izumi looked down, at the portal, hating it with all her being. Because of it, all was fallen, all was lost to her.  
Izumi knelt upon the hard ground, tipping her head up into the sky, closing her eyes. The portal would have to be destroyed. As would the island, for that was the only was she could be sure the portal was removed from this world.  
Her greatest grief was the damage that would be done to this area. But greater damage would be done, _irrepairable_ damage would be done, if this portal was not closed.  
Izumi gathered herself, and called.

"She's just going to close the portal, right?" Kagome asked, standing beside the others on the clifftop. They were looking out towards the island.  
"That's what she said, yeah," InuYasha said, "She closed the other one easily enough, she should probably be back here soon."  
They remained standing, watching.  
Kagome still had that terrible feeling inside her, like a train was bearing down on her, full speed. Something was coming. She looked at InuYasha again, studying his face. At least _he_ seemed ok.  
But the hanyou had always had trouble keeping his emotions to himself, and he seemed worried. There was something on his face she didn't like.  
There was a sound, like thunder, rumbling off in the distance.  
"D-did you hear that?" Shippo quivered from where he sat on Miroku's shoulder.  
"It's only thunder, Shippo, it's ok," Sango said gently.  
"I knew that!" he said, "I'm not scared of thunder!"  
Sango was about to speak, when another massive _crack_ split the sky, booming, echoing off the cliffs where they stood.  
"That's odd thunder," Sango said, "What do you-"  
Miroku suddenly gave a loud, shocked cry, faltering back a step, eyes up in the sky.  
They all turned, even Lord Sesshomaru. Everyone froze, shocked.  
What appeared to be a huge fireball was streaking down out of the sky, literally _rolling_ in the sky as it came. It seemed to be made of rock, black and cruel looking. As they watched, it continued to fall towards the earth, growing in size all the time. As it tumbled, it left a long, greasy-looking firey tail in the sky, much like a ball of yarn will leave a line of wool where it has rolled. This tail, however, burned in the sky for a second or two before guttering out, leaving behind a black smoke tail.  
Everyone stared, stunned, at this massive firey mountain, falling from the sky.  
Kagome stared, her throat closed off, tongue unable to move. Her heart hammered in her chest, pounding loudly, though as the burning mountain fell, the noise cut off all sound.  
Unlike the others, Kagome was the only one able to put a name to the burning ball of rock and ruin that fell from the sky.  
Meteor. Asteroid.  
It continued to grow, swelling as it got closer and closer. Now the light from the burning hulk cast their shadows upon the ground, appearing to their left and arcing to their right as the meteor blasted past them, filling the world with a roar that shook the air in their lungs, the ground under their feet, their bones, their very atoms. The cliff edge gave way under the impact of it's passing, falling down to crash into the sea.  
It passed them, angling outwards as if it were going to pass land altogether, heading out to the sea.  
But it's angle was too wrong. It was sinking now, leaving a long black trail of smoke behind it. Occasionally there would be another loud _crack_ of thunder as a piece would break off, crashing down into the water.  
"It...it's gonna hit the island!" InuYasha cried.  
They all watched, in shocked silence, as it dropped down, down, nearing the island.  
It came to what looked like the very top edge of the island.  
Beside her, Kagome saw Lord Sesshomaru blink, take one step forward, arm out, reaching out in his shock, his voice loud and edged in the stunned silence, _"Izumi!"_  
A sudden, blinking light issued from the island, flashing outwards, brighter than the sun. Kagome cried out, throwing her arms over her face to block out the light. The world consisted only of that horrible, blinding light. Around her she heard her friends cry out as well, knew they were seeking shelter from the searing light as she was.  
Everything was so horribly, horribly silent.  
Seconds passed. Kagome slowly lowered her arm, peering out towards the island.  
The light died, and she stood, looking, in shock. Beside her, she heard InuYasha's voice, low, as if afraid to break the terrible silence.  
"What...what the hell is that?"  
Kagome stared, unable to believe what her eyes were telling her.  
Where the island once stood, a huge cloud was stretching up into the sky, a long white pillar of smoke, that rounded out at the top.  
She found her voice, weak and croaky, "It's called a mushroom cloud. Oh God, what happened?"  
_Impact event,_ her brain chattered at her, _Impact. The island was hit with an asteroid or a meteor._  
Kagome heard Sango give a watery, sobbing gasp, "What does it mean?"  
"I...I..." Kagome's voice faltered. She had never seen an actual mushroom cloud before, but as a child of Japan, she understood it's meaning. Total destruction. The asteroid had hit hard, and now...  
It was still so horribly silent.  
"What...what's that?" Miroku asked, his own voice subdued. He pointed towards what looked like a line that was moving towards them over the surface of the water. The water was still and calm, but once the line passed over, the water seemed to froth and surge in all directions.  
The sight broke Kagome's paralysis.  
"Shock wave! Oh my God it's a shock wave! We have to hide, we have to get down, we need shelter..." She grabbed InuYasha's arm, turning. With her other arm, she grabbed Miroku, "Sango, Shippo, come on, hurry!"

Down below, the leading edge of the shock wave struck the shoreline. Boats that had been pulled up on shore went flying, splintering into a thousand pieces. Wharves were torn violently from their posts, huge pieces of wood flung into the air with the force of a bomb. The shoreline itself was ripped into, seaweed and brush near the waterline completely destroyed.

Kagome ran, half staggering, yanking the two men with her, her eyes darting around wildly, looking for something, anything, she could use as shelter.  
"Kagome, what is it, what's going on?"  
Her eyes fell on the huge projection of stone that stuck out of the ground, like the spine of a long dead animal. It was about 10 feet tall at the highest part. Babbling, she kept telling them to get down, lie flat, down, down, down.  
Her friends had no idea what she was panicking about, but she seemed to know more about what was going on than they did, and they quickly ran behind the rocky ledge, crouching.  
Kagome blinked, suddenly remembered the demon lord. She stood, peering around the ledge, "Sesshomaru! You have to fi-"  
She stopped.  
Sesshomaru was nowhere to be seen.  
Kagome ducked down again, stretching out on her belly. She grabbed Shippo, wrapping him tightly in her arms, practically squeezing the life out of him, "Down, on your bellies, _down!_"  
"Damnit!" InuYasha growled, stretching out beside her, "I've been through explosions before, Ka-"  
_"Just shut up and lie on your stomach!"_ she screamed at him.  
InuYasha blinked, shocked.  
He was about to say something, when in the distance, they heard thunder rumble again. Only this time it didn't end. The strength of it grew each second, louder and louder.  
Sango looked at her, eyes wide, clutching little Kirara in her arms. She said something to Kagome, but it was lost in the growing roar that was approaching.  
_~DarkWind, go! Phase out, go to another world, anything, just go!~  
~Nushi-~  
~NOW!~_  
She felt their connection break.  
Their world now was just a constant roar, like an enraged animal bearing down on them. Kagome looked into their faces, saw the fear that was there, shock. InuYasha looked uneasy, bordering on frightened - he probably still thought he could handle whatever was coming - but Shippo, Sango and Miroku looked terrified.  
Kagome called to them, tried to tell them to cover their heads with their hands, but her voice was completely lost in the growing roar.  
And suddenly, it was on them.

The world vanished around them, filled only by a constant, savage roaring that shattered eardrums and thrummed in their bodies. Dirt and debris blocked out all the light, trees bent double under the onslaught, some breaking off completely to be sent hurtling backwards. Kagome felt the ground under her jumping and shivering, and she could feel herself being pulled slowly in the direction the wind was going, a suction forming in the lee of the rocky outcrop.  
Kagome screamed, not even able to hear her own voice. Gravel struck her, small pieces of rock breaking off the stony outcrop to dash against them, striking hard. Shippo suddenly seemed to weigh twice what he normally did, three times, as the wind tried to pull him from her arms.  
She felt hands grab her, tight, and felt herself pulled opposite the streaming wind and debris. A heavy weight half settled atop her. She couldn't open her eyes against the debris, but she knew it was InuYasha, trying to lay atop her for whatever protection he could provide both her and the Kitsune child.  
It sounded like the world biggest, angriest demon screaming above them. It was hard to breathe as the air was being pulled with the shock wave.  
It seemed to go on for hours, days. The constant roaring blocked out even thought, nothing remained but a panic, and a fight to live. The roar continued. Never ending, it assaulted their ears, their bodies. Everything around them was blackness as dust and dirt flew past. Occasionally a tree or even a huge boulder would blast past, crashing to the ground and rolling, jumping, to dissapear into the blackness again.  
Again Kagome screamed, in fear, no sound issuing from her mouth at all, though she could feel herself screaming. She had never experienced such utter terror. The sound went on and on, with no sign of stopping.  
_This is how it ends,_ she thought, _This is hell, just that noise, going forever, forever. Why won't it stop?!_  
Their bodies seemed to vibrate with the roaring sound. They felt like they were going to be shook apart. The air heated up around them, making it harder and harder to breathe.  
Slowly, horribly slowly, the roaring began to lessen, the pulling lessened. It became easier to breathe.  
All around them, things were crashing to the ground. The heavy rocky outcropping they crouched beside was struck several times by big heavy objects, slamming into it.  
Cautiously, they lifted their heads, looking around, gasping for breath. The air they pulled into their lungs was laced with dust and dirt, and they coughed and gagged.  
There was so much dust in the air, it was hard to see.  
_"Is everyone alright?!"_ InuYasha yelled. His voice sounded somewhat distant; everyone's ears were ringing.  
Shippo, in Kagome's arms, was crying, shuddering. InuYasha crawled off of Kagome, and she sat up, getly rocking Shippo, "It's over now, it's over. You're ok, Shippo, you're ok."  
InuYasha got to his feet, wobbly, "Miroku? Sango? Kirara?"  
For a long, horrible second, there was no answer, and he despaired they had been pulled with the suction out from the safety of the outcropping. But he suddenly heard coughing, and half staggered over to them.  
They lay on the ground, clinging tightly to each other, little Kirara pinned in between them, clutched tightly by Sango's arm. They were covered in dust and debris.  
They opened their eyes, shocked and dark in dusty faces. Miroku looked at Sango wildly, "Are you alright? Sango?"  
"Yes, I'm ok. If you hadn't grabbed me..."  
"What happened?"  
"I had her hand," Miroku looked at InuYasha, shuddering, "And I felt her being pulled. Out, into _that_."  
"Are both of you alright?"  
Everyone looked themselves over. Aside from some cuts and bruises gained from smaller flying debris, they were safe.  
They all stood, on shaky legs, walking out around the rocky outcropping. Trees were felled everywhere. A goodly portion of the cliff face had been blasted away entirely from the impact. Out in the ocean, the water churned and frothed, trees and debris floating.  
There was almost no island, just a small line of earth in the ocean. All the trees had been blasted off or burned up. The giant mushroom cloud had been blown by the wind, and now just resembled a long leaning pillar of smoke.  
"I don't understand," InuYasha said, quietly, "What happened?"  
Where was Izumi?


	4. Chapter 4

Kagome stood, staggering slightly, staring out at what was left of the island.  
She felt DarkWind phase into being next to her, and he blinked, shocked, "Nushi?"  
"I'm ok," she croaked, "We're all ok. But the island..."  
The Kageri turned, regarding the island. He was silent.  
_~You understand, don't you, DarkWind. You...you're a Kageri of destruction. You know what happened.~  
~I do, Nushi, yes. The explosion...the racing winds that do more damage farther out from the original place. This was a terrible explosion.~  
~DarkWind, take me out there, I have to see what happened to Izumi.~_  
DarkWind blinked, looking at her, _~Nushi?~  
~I have to see, take me there.~  
~The Lady Izumi said-~  
~Lady Izumi might need help! Now!~_  
InuYasha blinked as DarkWind picked Kagome up in his arms, and turned.  
"Hey, _hey_! Where the hell do you think you're going?"  
"I'm getting DarkWind to take me to the island, InuYasha, I need to see what's happened."  
"Izumi told us to stay _here_," Sango said.  
"I know, but I'm frightened she might be hurt. I'll be right back."  
"If you're going, damnit, we're all going!"  
DarkWind lifted off from the ground, hovering a few feet in the air, "It'll take too long, DarkWind can't take us all at once anymore. I'll just be a minute, stay here."  
"Kagome!"  
The woman and the Kageri phased out of sight, dissapearing.  
"_Damnit!_"  
"I don't like it any more than you, InuYasha," Miroku said, "But Kagome has a point. Someone should check on the Lady Izumi, and DarkWind can travel there in a second. We'll wait here."  
He cursed.

Kagome and DarkWind phased into being out over the island.  
The first thing Kagome noticed was that the island had pretty much been flattened. All the trees were gone, cast down like broken matchsticks, if not burned away entirely. The ground was smoking, scorched black. There were bubbling puddles of what looked like magma or lava on the surface, steaming.  
DarkWind carefully lowered himself, coming to stand on a clear spot.  
"Be careful where you stand, Nushi. The ground here is very hot. Your shoes may melt."  
Kagome nodded, standing up, looking around.  
"Where's Izumi? Do you think she's left already?"  
"It's possible, Nushi. Perhaps we should go back. I am not comfortable disobeying the Lady Izumi. She is kind, but would not appreciate disobedience."  
"I'll just take a quick look around. I'd hate to think she was here, hurt or something."  
They started making their way across the destroyed land, picking their way carefully.  
"DarkWind, you don't think...I mean...you don't think she's too badly hurt, do you?"  
DarkWind shrugged, "I do not know, Nushi. Certainly a Senmin is very powerful, and the Lady Izumi the most powerful. Still...such power was released when that burning mountain was cast upon the island...I do not know which would be stronger."  
"That's what I'm afraid of. Izumi? Izumi! Are you here?"  
"Nushi, wait."  
DarkWind took her elbow, stopping her. Confused, Kagome looked back over her shoulder at the Kageri, "What? What is it?"  
DarkWind said nothing, but motioned with his head for her to look ahead, closely.  
Kagome turned, and through the broken trees and upthrust land, she could see the Demon Lord making his way across the island as well.  
"Sesshomaru. I guess he came to look for Izumi as well."  
"Be careful, Nushi. The Demon Lord is a prickly one."  
"That's putting it mildly," she said.  
They picked their way forward again, and Kagome came to stand behind a large boulder that had been torn clear out of the ground. Cautiously, she peered around it, watching.  
Lord Sesshomaru was obviously searching for Izumi as well, casting his gaze about him. In the blasted land, he was a vivid mark of color, silver hair, white clothing with violet and yellow trim.

When the impact wave had come hurtling towards him, Lord Sesshomaru had watched as the human woman, Kagome, panicked and grabbed her friends, dragging them behind a stone outcropping for shelter.  
Feeling somewhat disgusted with their weakness, he rose into the air, taking on his travelling form, that of a small golden globe, and sped up, high above the land, to observe.  
He was mildly surprised when he saw the line the monk had pointed out, the thing the human woman had called a _shock wave_ strike the land, passing over it. Apparently this _shock wave_ was the leading edge of the force and power being pushed out from such an immense explosion. The damage it had done was impressive.  
He was not worried about Rin. He watched the distance inland the wave fled, but once it hit land it seemed to weaken. It did not travel too far inland, and did not reach where Rin had been.  
He was surprised with the force that buffeted him, even in his smaller travelling form. He was violently rocked to and fro for a short time, before it passed over, leaving him in one piece.  
He was curious, though, as to just why Izumi had decided to destroy this portal in such a...overwhelming manner. It was not like the woman, who was usually quite and somewhat demure.  
Now, standing on the island itself, he was impressed. There was barely a tree left standing, and what was standing had been burned into a blackened stump.  
But where was Izumi herself?  
Lord Sesshomaru stepped over some fallen trees and rocks, his eyes scanning the area. Surely she hadn't left so quickly? Knowing the woman, she was probably already planning on trying to bring the island back to it's original state, worried she had perhaps cast some birds out of their homes.  
He was in the process of turning to leave, when his eyes fell upon a strip of cloth.  
Curious, he walked towards it. Had Izumi lost a portion of her robes? The cloth was covered in dirt and dust, rendering it a dull brown, but the vibrant colors underneath could still be made out, the form of a bird in flight.  
It seemed to be sticking out from under a pile of downed trees.  
Lord Sesshomaru knelt, and picked up the corner of cloth, tugging at it lightly.  
It would not budge.  
Frowning, he pulled harder.  
Still nothing. A harder yet tug made the debris before him shift slightly, and he suddenly realized the cloth he was holding was attached to something underneath the debris.  
He paused, narrowing his eyes.  
The demon lord reached out, and took ahold of one of the downed trees. Giving it a shove, it rocked backwards, falling over to shatter on the ground. A second tree, and then a third followed suit.  
Kagome, watching from the side, watching Sesshomaru right side, suddenly saw him freeze, his hand in the process of removing yet another tree.  
Kagome shifted from one foot to another. What had the demon lord found, and why was he actually looking stunned?  
Lord Sesshomaru gazed down on the form of Izumi, lying on her face. Her long black hair was badly scorched at the ends, her robes burned black in places. Her hair lay in disarray, flung out like a black spiderweb, tangled and caught on various things.  
Kagome watched as the demon lord slowly reached down, into what seemed like a hole inside a huge pile of debris.

Sesshomaru stared at Izumi, startled badly. What had happened? Why was she just _lying_ there like that? Had she been knocked senseless?  
He reached in, and took a hold of her by her shoulders. Carefully, he turned her over, lifting her slightly, rolling her onto her back.  
Unseeing, half-lidded eyes stared sightlessly up into the smoke-filled sky. There was a terrible wound to her temple, a large gaping tear just above her ear. Blood had poured out of the wound, running down her neck, seeping into her beautiful robe.  
Golden eyes widened in shock. He stared at her, utterly stunned.  
"Izumi?" he whispered her name, confused.  
She did not stir. Her eyes remained unseeing.  
She hung limply in his hands, like a broken doll a child had thrown away.  
"Izumi?" he asked again. The demon lord had never felt so utterly confused before. What had happened? The Lady Izumi was Senmin, how could she have...  
Was she _dead_?  
_Izumi?_  
Carefully, lifting her as if holding something made of the finest crystal, Lord Sesshomaru lifted her from the hole in the debris, gathering her up in his arms. He studied her face, trying to understand what had happened.  
She had _died?_ From this?

Kagome gasped when she saw the demon lord lift Lady Izumi out of the hole, watched as he gently cradled her to his chest so he could get a better look at her. From where she was, Kagome could not see the woman's face, but Izumi was not moving. She was laying so very...still. And her robes were so burned and torn.  
It _couldn't_ be!  
Sesshomaru remembered seeing her that time, pinned to the tree. He had thought she was killed then as well, but that had been the evil of Tokijin, holding her still. Once the sword had been removed, she had revived. But even then, her eyes had been closed. Now they were half open, and...unseeing.  
Lord Sesshomaru studied her face in silence, trying to pick some sense out of what had happened. Carefully, he raised a hand, and closed the woman's eyes. Now she looked as if she were simply sleeping, her long black lashes lying as if lace against her cheeks.  
"What happened here?" he asked her quietly, as if expecting an answer, "Why did you fall?"  
Nothing.  
The demon lord suddenly felt a strong _wrench_ inside him, as if something had grabbed his innards and pulled. He didn't understand it, and he certainly didn't like it.  
"What did you do," he asked, his voice suddenly rough, "you fool of a woman?"  
Silence.  
There was nothing else for it. No other explanation, no matter how insane it seemed.  
Izumi was dead.  
Kagome watched as the demon lord looked into Izumi's face in silence for the longest time. What was going on? Were they talking? How badly was she hurt?  
She fell silent, shocked and suddenly frightened, when she saw Sesshomaru lift Izumi slightly, bringing her head up to rest against his neck, bending his own head slightly, as if...  
_Embracing her?_  
Kagome's heart started to pound. Oh that did not bode well, that was not good at all. Why was Sesshomaru embracing her?  
"Nushi," DarkWind whispered, but Kagome waved him silent.  
Kagome blinked when the demon lord stood, picking Izumi up, and turned, preparing to leave the island.  
"Wait!" she called, suddenly running out from behind her boulder, "Lord Sesshomaru, wait! How badly is she hurt?"  
The demon lord did not turn back to face her, did not even seem to hear her. For a second, Kagome had thought he wasn't going to answer, and she had been about to demand an answer, when he finally spoke.  
His voice was calm and cold, disinterested, as always.  
"The Lady Izumi requires no healing. She is dead."  
Kagome gasped, staggering to a stop, "She...what? _What?_ Dead!? Are you sure?"  
Sesshomaru turned, his eyes hard and cold, "I believe I am capable of ascertaining such a thing when a person is no longer breathing, nor do they have a beating heart."  
Kagome shook her head, "No. No, it can't be. Sesshomaru how could she have died!? She's _Senmin!_ She can't die!"  
Lord Sesshomaru looked into Izumi's face again, and spoke, "I do not understand, myself. Yet she is dead."  
He turned, and started walking away.  
"W-what are you doing?" Kagome cried, and started after him again. DarkWind stood beside her, ready to phase her out the second the demon lord showed signs of tiring of her presence, "Where are you taking her?! Sesshomaru, please, let us bury her!"  
Sesshomaru rose into the air. He turned, looking down coldly at Kagome. There was an anger in the demon lord's face, and something else in his eyes, something she couldn't identify.  
"She will not be buried," he said, "The Lady Izumi told me once how she wished her remains to be settled in the event of her death. I will see it happens."  
"O-Oh. Ok. I...where..."  
But Sesshomaru had turned, and was already flying out over the water, bearing Izumi away somewhere distant.  
Kagome remained standing in the middle of the destroyed island, feeling very small and lost and alone.  
They had lost _Izumi._ The one that was supposed to teach them and guide them. The one who helped them and called them dear, who laughed at their joys, and shared their sorrows.  
She turned to DarkWind, "Take me back, please."  
"Yes, Nushi."

They appeared back not far from where they had stood before, on the clifftop. The smoke from the ruined island still hung in the air, acrid and thick. Dust still hung in the air, too fine to settle quickly.  
The minute her feet touched the ground, she heard InuYasha call her name.  
Kagome turned, watching as her friends ran to her, eager for news. She fell silent. How was she going to tell them, especially _InuYasha_. She was the closest thing he had to his mother, and now she was gone. Dead, somehow.  
"Are you alright? Are you ok?" he asked, looking her over.  
"I'm fine, InuYasha," she said softly.  
"Well, is Izumi still there? What the hell happened? Did she actually plan that, or was it an accident? Because if it was it was one hell of an accident."  
Kagome opened her mouth, tried to speak, and couldn't.  
InuYasha frowned, "Come on, Kagome, talk!"  
"Izumi's dead."  
Everyone froze, startled silent. They all looked at her in shock. No one really believed what they had heard, it must have been some strange, horrible mistake.  
"W-What?" Miroku found his voice first.  
"She's dead," Kagome said in a small voice, "She's gone."  
"That...that's impossible!" InuYasha snapped, "Izumi's too damn strong for that. That explosion might have knocked the crap out of her, yeah, but not kill her! Did you actually see her, or just couldn't find her? Because if you couldn't find her, Kagome, that doesn't mean she-"  
"I saw her, InuYasha," Kagome said, a little firmer, "I saw...her body. She's gone."  
Silence.  
"No, that...that's crazy. She's too strong."  
"If she's still out there," Sango said quietly, "We have to go get her. We can't just leave her-"  
_"She's not dead!"_ InuYasha snapped, "Stop talking like that!"  
Kagome shook her head, "Sesshomaru took her."  
That got InuYasha's attention, and he turned to her, "What? What do you mean, _'took her'_?"  
"He was there, and...and he took her body."  
InuYasha stared at her in outrage, "What? If she's hurt, she can't fight him off! What's he play-"  
Kagome turned to him, hands in fists, _"She's dead, InuYasha, dead! Not hurt, not knocked out, not injured, dead! DEAD! I saw her! There was no life!"_  
He blinked at her, shocked silent.  
Kagome tried to compose herself, "Sesshomaru himself said that she...she wasn't breathing. Her heart wasn't beating. She had a...a wound...here..." Kagome touched a spot on her temple, just above her ear, "A bad..."  
She fell silent.  
"Why would Sesshomaru take her?" Miroku said, uneasily, "She needs proper burial."  
Kagome rubbed her face, feeling grief starting to form, "He said that she...that Izumi had once told him how she wanted her remains prepared. He said he'd do it."  
InuYasha looked away, hands in fists so tight his knuckles were white.

Far from the island, away from the black smoke, not too far from the remains of a long lost village, the sun shone down on the water. The waves were a little agitated from the impact some distance away, but in this small harbor of sorts, it was somewhat peaceful.  
White seabirds wheeled overhead, their mournful cries a mixture with the sighing of the water.  
Sesshomaru stood upon the surface of the water, holding Izumi in his arms. His golden gaze was on the water beneath him, so dark a blue. The sun shone down ito it's depths a distance, making soft golden beams that rippled in the deep.  
Carefully, the demon lord knelt on one knee, and lowered Izumi to the water. At first he had considered some sort of shroud, but in the end he decided against it. He did not want her face to be covered. Let nothing come between her and the rest with her village she had wished.  
Carefully, he set her into the water, letting the waves lap up around her sides, gently meeting over her breast, only her face clear of the water. The salt water washed away the blood that had dried on her temple, her long hair flowing like obsidian seaweed in the water.  
He looked into her face, and wanted to say something, but he had no idea what to say. He couldn't have prevented it. Her ways were her own, and her duties were clear. She would not have suffered him interfering in any way. And as hateful as it was to admit, if it had managed to kill a Senmin, even he, Lord Sesshomaru, would most likely have not been able to prevent it.  
But he felt...empty. To see her, so quiet, so still...  
He spoke, his voice oddly soft, "Sleep now, My Lady. Your time for rest has come. Sleep in the company of your lost village, and dream of joy.  
I...shall miss you."  
Carefully, he let her go.  
He stood, watching, as she gently sank beneath the waves, her brilliant robes billowing out as she sank, sank, into the darkness below. He watched until her face was just a pale oval in the depths, and then it, too, disappeared from sight.  
Slowly, the demon lord stood. He imagined her, resting among the sleeping bodies of her villagers, her long hair fanned out about her, sleeping deep. Sleeping peacefully.  
Lord Sesshomaru turned, and rose, and left the ocean behind.

END


End file.
